Series: Journey Through the Bible. The goal is to help people understand the Bible - to get a start understand the importance of the complete Bible and encourage further study. This sermon is on Hebrews. Theme: Jesus was the best that God had to offer.

A number of years ago researchers performed an experiment to see the effect hope has on those undergoing hardship. Two sets of laboratory rats were placed in separate tubs of water. The researchers left one set in the water and found that within an hour they had all drowned. The other rats were periodically lifted out of the water and then returned. When that happened, the second set of rats swam for over 24 hours. Why? Not because they were given a rest, but because they suddenly had hope!
Those animals somehow hoped that if they could stay afloat just a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them. If hope holds such power for unthinking rodents, how much greater should is effect be on our lives.
Today in the Word, May, 1990, p. 34.

God's Holy Spirit emboldens his messenger to proclaim the reign of Christ. Believe the power of the Holy Spirit to empower you to proclaim the kingdom of God, accompanying the ministry of the word with acts of kindness and mercy.

Because God's message of salvation comes to his covenant people they must prepare for conflicts among themselves. Such conflicts are inevitable, if not more than a bit alarming as marking the life of God's people, because God's people are essentially no different than those outside God's covenant community; they are sinners. The conflicts that mark the life of God's people precisely because God's message comes to them are seen in the beginning of the story that centers on Joseph. Conflicts mark the life of God's covenant people for two basic reasons. First, God's messenger is sinful and secondly, God's message is offensive, and it is offensive not because there is anything wrong or defective about that message, but because the one's receiving the message are sinful. It means suffering for all God's people.